Editorial: Primary endorsements

Saturday

Jan 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 26, 2008 at 2:52 PM

The early primaries have winnowed the field, but the nomination contests in both the Democratic and Republican parties are still wide open, and still will be when voters in Massachusetts and 23 other states make their choices Feb. 5. Now's the time to pay attention and prepare to make a choice. Here are our preferences.

The early primaries have winnowed the field, but the nomination contests in both the Democratic and Republican parties are still wide open, and still will be when voters in Massachusetts and 23 other states make their choices Feb. 5. Now's the time to pay attention and prepare to make a choice. Here are our preferences.

For Democrats: Barack Obama

Several quality candidates have left the field, but three stars remain. None is perfect, and all lack the executive experience we'd like to see. But Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards share attitudes and positions that offer a sharp contrast with those of the Republican in the White House and the Republicans who hope to succeed him.

Edwards' great strength is his passion for economic justice. But his record is less inspiring than his rhetoric, and his vision seems limited by the touchstone of his working-class roots.

Hillary Clinton is certainly smart and her policy expertise isn't in dispute. Her experience, though, is overstated: Proximity to the presidency is not sufficient to validate her decision-making abilities.

Where Clinton really comes up short is on vision. There's more to leadership than competently handling the issues that cross the oval office desk. A president must be more than policy wonk-in-chief. She has tried to counter Obama's promise of change by arguing that simply having a woman president is change enough. It isn't, and as the campaign has grown more heated - and as Bill Clinton has taken a more aggressive role - Hillary seems to be promising little more than a return to the small-minded politics of the 1990s.

Obama promises much more. His youth, his global heritage and his inspirational message offer the opportunity to turn the page, in America and in the eyes of the world. He backs up that promise with a record that shows intelligence, judgment and an ability to bring people together rather than dividing them for political advantage.

Obama's call for change is light on specifics and his policy prescriptions aren't that different from those of his opponents. This campaign is providing his first big test, and the results are not yet in. But our enthusiasm exceeds our reservations, and we're proud to endorse him for the Democratic nomination.

For Republicans: John McCain

George W. Bush's disappointing presidency has left Republicans divided and dispirited, which is reflected in their cast of candidates. All have flaws, but one has qualities that make him our clear choice.

Of the remaining candidates, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is the most entertaining, with an engaging wit and a take on economic issues that contrasts with the corporate Republicanism of his opponents. But his inexperience in foreign and military affairs is troubling, some of his policy prescriptions are curious and he shows a disturbing tendency to blur the distinctions between church and state.

Rudy Giuliani is a legend in his own mind, a man whose performance over a few days following the attacks of 9/11 blinded many Republicans to his real record. While things improved dramatically while he was mayor of New York, nearly every other large American city saw similar reductions in crime and welfare rolls. His real record, before 9/11 and after he left office, betrays tendencies toward arrogance, cronyism and overreaching.

Mitt Romney's record here in Massachusetts has also escaped scrutiny. A competent, if often indifferent, manager, he was neither effective nor inspiring as a leader. His actions seemed more geared toward burnishing his own credentials than solving real problems. As we've seen in the presidential campaign, Romney has the constancy of a weathervane.

Sen. John McCain stands head and shoulders above this crowd. On policy, we often disagree, but we've long been impressed by his willingness to take principled stands that go against his political self-interest. He alienated the most powerful interests in Washington and in GOP politics by pushing campaign finance reform. He stood up to his party's president in time of war in order to prohibit the use of torture by American forces. On the eve of his presidential campaign, he teamed up with Sen. Ted Kennedy on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, knowing he would be branded a supporter of amnesty.

In the pursuit of the nomination that eluded him eight years ago, McCain has become less of a maverick and less of a straight shooter. But he has a record of working effectively across the aisle and his knowledge and experience, especially on national security issues, far exceeds that of his rivals. He deserves to represent his party in the general election.

MetroWest Daily News

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